Real Bride: Kallie T.

From the Bride:

How we met:

Caleb and I both attended the University of Iowa for college. Through a mutual friend, we knew of each other, but had never been introduced. In January of 2014, my group of friends and I were traveling home from the U of I Hawkeye football bowl game in Florida and we stopped in Nashville for a night out. Caleb and his friends were doing the same (though each of us did not know this). We happened to run into each other at a bar in Nashville- we formally introduced ourselves, danced the night away, and I spilled quite a few whiskey drinks on Caleb. 😊 Once we both returned to Iowa City for the semester, we began going on dates and the rest is history!

Our engagement:

Because Caleb and I love Nashville so much – as it is the place we officially met, we try and go back there at least once a year. In July of 2017, we planned a trip there with my sisters and cousin and their husbands and boyfriend. The girls drove down separately from the guys as the girls had to drive down a day later so they could attend a friend’s baby gender reveal party back at home. When we arrived at the hotel in Nashville, I was expecting the guys to be there. The guys were not and told the girls “get ready and come meet us at this new bar along the river that we found.” So the girls got ready and got an Uber ride to the river.

Once the girls got dropped off, they started walking to find the guys. Along the way, I sees a man holding flowers standing by the bridge alongside a musician with a guitar. As I walked closer, she realized it was Caleb. Caleb got down on one knee as the musician (Mason Lee) was singing and playing “Thank God I’m Yours” by Russell Dickerson. Of course I said “YES.” Meanwhile, my parents, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and Caleb’s parents and siblings came walking down the bridge to greet and congratulate us. I had no idea that her entire family was in town (8 hours away) to surprise her- Caleb did so well planning the entire event without me even realizing. We then got to spend the next 3 days/nights in Nashville celebrating with both of our families. It was the perfect proposal.

Wedding day favorites:

One of Caleb’s favorite hobbies is golfing so we chose to do our 1st look on a golf course at a very early time of 8 am before the golf tournament started for the day!

We got married in the Catholic Church that I grew up in. My parents were married there 28 years ago and my sister was married there 2 years ago.

During the wedding ceremony, the priest’s deacon surprised Caleb and I with a special song during the homily that made everyone cry! It was so special and our favorite piece from the day.

2 of the buttons on the sleeve of my wedding dress came from my grandmother’s bridal gown.

Caleb and I love live music (which is another reason why we love Nashville so much), so we chose a live band for our reception/dance. Our guests loved it as much as we did!

My aunt has a wedding decorating business that was handed over to her from my grandmother. I grew up helping my aunt and grandmother decorate many weddings. So, it was a special treasure to have them decorate my own wedding and make all the floral arrangements- including my bridal bouquet.